Automatic valve for heating systems



Jan. 12, 1937; N. F A 2,067,629

AUTOMATIC VALVE FOR HEATING SYSTEMS Filed July 28, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l Pig. 1.

ETURN PIPE CURRENT SOURCE FROM FUEL SUPPLY INVENTOR Charles N. F L17 Jan. 12, 1937. c. N. FLAGG 2,067,629

AUTOMATIC VALVE FOR HEATING SYSTEMS Filed Jilly 28, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR C harles N. Fla BY TTORNEY Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICIE' 7 Claims.

This invention relates to hot water heating systems, and more particularly to an automatically controlled indirect domestic hot water supply and house heating system.

One object of this invention is to provide a system of the above nature having means for preventing the circulation of water in the house heating system until the temperature of the water inthe boiler has risen above the point required to heat water for domestic purposes.

A further object is to provide a system of the above nature having a thermostatically controlled valve adapted to open for permitting the circulation of water in the house heating system, said valve being adapted to operate between two adjustable predetermined temperatures.

A further object is to provide a system of the above nature in which the operation of the thermostatically controlled valve is effected by a bellows member containing a, volatile fluid and wholly enclosed Within the casing of the valve,

together with adjusting means extending extecally controlled valve of the above nature in which the bellows member may be associated with a toggle mechanism to delay the movement of said bellows member and impart a snap action to the valve.

A further object is to provide. a device of the above nature which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appear-' ance and very eflioient and durable in use.

With these and other objects inview there'have been illustrated on the accompanying drawings two forms in which the invention may be conveniently embodied in practice.

In -the drawings:

Fig. l-represents a diagrammatic view of a hot water heating system and a cooperatively related domestic hot water supply system.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through one form of thethermostatically controlled valve unit.

.Fig. 2A is a detailperspective view showing the connection between' the pressure adjusting shaft and the toggle mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a' longitudinal sectional view similar t'o-Fig. 2 of a modified form of thermostatically controlled valve unit.

In a hot water house heating system wherein are combined the functions of general space heating and the heating of a domestic water supply through the medium of a heat exchanger, it is desirable that both the fire or other'primary source of heat and the circulation of water in the house heating system be subject to control. The intensity of the fire can be regulated automatically in any one of a number of ways well known to those versed in the art, the general 10 method being to place the fuel under the control of a thermostatic device responsive either to the temperature of the air in the room to be heated or of the water in the heating system. Under this method of control it is found that the water '15 in the circulating system, except perhaps in times of extremely cold weather, is maintained at a temperature too low to heat water for domestic use, thus making it impracticableto employ the system of indirect heating for supplying hot water for domestic uses.

In the present invention the above and other disadvantages have been avoided by providing an automatic valve adapted to be placed in the feed v pipe of the house heating system, said valve being 5 actuated by a thermostatic member also located in said feed pipe and responsive to the temperature of the water in said system.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral II indicates a hot water boiler having a feed pipe I2 leading from the top thereof and adapted to be connected to a plurality of radiators I3 arranged throughout the house or other building I4. The radiators I3 are connected to a return pipe I5 leading back to the boiler I I and entering the lower portion thereof. Theboiler may be heated by means of an oil burner I6 operated by a motOI' l1. 40

The domestic hot water supply apparatus com-1 prises a hot water tank I8, inlet and outlet pipes l9 and 20 respectively, and a heat exchanger 2I. The water in the tank I8 is circulated through a heating coil 22 located within the exchanger 2|, and receives heat from the higher temperature water circulating in the body of said exchanger. The hotwater passing through the body of the said exchanger is drawn from the main feed pipe I2 through a smaller feed pipe 23, and is returned to the boiler I I through a return pipe 24. The basic regulation of the water temperature in the boiler I I is obtained by a thermostatic controller 25 (not shown in detail, and sometimes inaccurately referred to as a hydrostat) having its temperature-sensitive element exposed to the ing temperature, thus reacting upon the motor I11 in such a manner as to cause a greater volume of fuel to be supplied to the burner, and to perform in a reverse sense upon an increase of the temperature of the water in the pipe 23. Under ordinary conditions, the setting of the controller .25 would be such as to maintain the water in the feed pipe 23 at a temperature approximating 180 degrees, Fahr.

A second thermostat 36 the room to be heated, and is adjusted to close its electrical contacts at a temperature of about 70degrees, Fahr. Since, as will be seen from the diagram (Fig. 1) the terminals of the thermostat 30'are in parallel with those of the controller 215,

it is evidentthat upon a' fall of room temperature ferent seasons of the year, the present invention contemplates the use in the feed pipe line I 2 leading from the boiler H to the radiators l3 of a thermostatically controlled valve, generally indicated by the numeral 33, which is adapted to remain closed' until the temperature in the boiler rises above that required for. heating the domestic water supply. As shown in Fig. 1, the valve 33 is located in the feed pipe l2 above the point at which the heat exchanger feed pipe 23 is attached thereto.

Automatic valve unit The automatic valve unit .33, as best shown in Fig. 2, consists of an oval shaped hollow body 34 having an internal chamber 34a, a laterally projecting thermostat housing 35, and upper and lower flanges36 and 31 for connecting said valve unit with the feed'pipelZ. A hollow float member.38 adapted to be partially oi wholly supported by the buoyancy of the water, which under operating conditions fills the valve body- 34, is located in the upper section of the chamber 34a. The

lower part of said float member is preferably.

made hemispherical in form, and the upper part is made conical so that it will seat tightly against the sharp lower edge of an annular valve seat 33 for forming a tight seal between the float chamber 34a and the upper neck 46 of the said valve body '34. If desired, a small hole 3911 may be drilled through the seat ring 39, bypassing the valve and preventing the accumulation of entrapped air.

The lower part of thefloat member 38 is provided with a tapped boss 4| for receiving the threaded end of a guide rod .or valve stem 42 slidably fitted into a guide bloclr43which is see cured to apracket 44 formed integrally with the interior wall of the valve-body 34' An elongated slot 45 is provided at an intermediate position in.

the guide rod, for receiving the end of a horiis located in the air of 2 zontal arm 46 forming a part of a bell-crank lever 41. For the purpose of limiting the upward travel of the float member 38, and if desired, preventing it from seating upon the ring 39, there is provided'a'cam or stopmember 48 supported at an intermediate position upon a horizontal shaft 49. The inner end of the shaft 49 is journaled in a bearing bushing 56 secured to the interior wall of the neck 40. The outer end of the shaft 49 is journaledin a stuffing box 5| and is provided with a crank handle 52 formanual adjustment.

The slot 45 in the guide rod 42, being longer than the width of the arm 46, suiflcient lost'motion is provided to enable the seating'membe'r 38 to be unseated by rotation of the cam 48 without interfering with the normal action of the bell-crank lever.

In order to automatically operate the float valve mechanism and control the amount of water flowing past the seating member 38, provision is made of a thermostatic unit 53 located within I the chamber 35. The thermostatic unit 53 consists of a pair of metal bellows tubes 54 and 55, the former being concentric about the latter, thus providing an annular space therebetween, and as clearly shown in Fig. 2, the inner end of the bellows tubes 54 and 55 may be secured to a movable end cap 56, as by soldering. The cap 56 is provided with a central .tapped boss 51 to which is secured one end of a horizontal shaft 58 located within the bellows unit and extending outside the chamber 35.

The inner extremity of the boss 51 has an integral bifurcated lug 53, to which is pivotally attached the upper end of the vertical arm 66 of the bell-crank 41. The bell-crank lever 41 may be pivotally supported upon the upper'end of a support bracket 6| formed integral with the interior wall of the oval chamber 34a.

The-outer ends of the bellows tubes 54 and 55 are suitably sealed to the inner wall of the cover plate 62, thus forming a non-leaking annular chamber 63, within which may be containeda volatile fluid, suchas a mixture of water, alcohol and ether. The cover plate 62 is tightly clamped between two annular rings 64 and 65 by means of the cap screws 66. The inner ring 64, which is larger in diameter than the outer ring 65, is secured to,an inwardly'extending flange 61 of the housing 35 by means of screws '68. .The cover plate 62 is provided with a central hollow boss 69, through which is loosely and slidably fitted the shaft 58. It is to benoted that by the use of a double'bellows construction the shaft 58 may extend out beyond the thermostatic unit 53 without the necessity of employing a stufllng box, which would have an undesirable retarding effect upon the movements of said shaft 58.

In order to limit the expansion of the thermostatic unit- 53, the outer threaded section 58a of the shaft 58is provided with an adjustable stop nut 16 adapted to abut against the outer end of the hollow boss63. Thestop nut may be locked at be controlled by means of a--c9mpression spring- I2 surrounding the outer end of the shaft 58 and adapted to 'be compressed between the cover plate 62 and a flanged bushing 13 adjustably screwed to the threaded end of said shaft 58. As shown in Fig.2 the flanged bushing .13 may be knurled for convenience of 'manipuation.

In order to delay the movement of the thermostatic unit 53 for the purpose of varying the temperature limits between which the valve opens and closes, an eye-screw I4 having an elongated vertical slot 15a is screwed into the tapped extremity of the shaft 58 and surrounds a pin 15. A pair of toggle shafts 1'6 and H are suitably journaled to the pivot pin 15. The upper end of the toggle shaft 15 is connected directly to another pivot pin I8, transversely secured to the outer end of one of a pair of inclined arms I9 and 80 secured to the outer clamping ring 65.

The toggle shaft 11 has its lower free end threaded and provided with a flanged nut 8| adjustably secured thereon. As shown in Fig. 2, the threaded end of the shaft is slidably fitted 'with-. in a sleeve member 82, the outer end of which is journaled to a transverse pivot pin 83 located at the outer end of the lower inclined arm 80. The toggle shaft TI is adapted to slide freely within the sleeve 82, against the influence of a compression spring 84 encompassing the said sleeve 82, and located between the flanged nut 9i and a flange 85 formed integral to the lower end of the sleeve 82. The resistance of the toggle action of the shafts l6 and .11 may be controlled by adjusting the position of the flanged nut ill on the threaded section of the shaft TV. I

It is obvious from this construction that when the volatile fluid within the thermostatic bellows unit 53 is being heated by the influence of the hot water within the chamber 341:, the complete expansion of said unit 53 will be retarded or delayed until the center pivot pin I5 is brought into a dead center with the two outer pivot' pins 18 and 83, after which the expansive power of the spring 84.will cause a snap action to occur immediately unseating the float valve to its fullest extent. Under a. cooling influence, the action of the thermostatic element 53 and associated parts will be the reverse of that just described, causing the float member 38 to seat quickly against the ring 39, or to strike against the cam member 08 as the case may be.

Operation in the operation of the indirect heating system as shown in the diagrammatic view of Fig. 1, the thermostatic controller 25 which is employed to keep the water in the tank I 8 at the correct temperature for domestic purposes. will first be set to hold the water in the boiler II within a temperature range between 160 and 180 degrees Fahr. valve 33 will then be set to open only at temperatures above 180 degrees, and thus to remain closed until the thermostat 30 in the living quarters of the building it calls for more heat, under which condition the thermostat 30, as explained above, takes predominance over the controller 25, increasing the fuel supply until the water temperature is raised by the necessary amount.

When the temperature in the boiler ii rises above 180 degrees, or to that point at which the thermostatic valve 33 is set to operate, the expansion of the thermostatic bellows unit 53 will overcome the action of the toggle, causing the bell-crank lever 07 to suddenly depress the float member 30 of the valve through the agency of the stem or guide rod 92, which action permits circulation of hot water upwardly through the feed pipe I? to the radiators I3.

Conversely, as the temperature in the living quarters rises and reaches the point at which The thermostatically. controlled float the room thermostat 30 opens its contacts, the motor II will revert to normal control, subject only to the thermostatic controller 25, causing the temperature of the water in the boiler to fall below 180 degrees, which lowering of temperature will in turn cause the seating member 38 to rise and close the valve.

During relatively cold weather the float valve member 38 may be partly depressed or opened by the proper manual adjustment of the cam 48.

The purpose of this is to avoid too great fluctu- Alternative form, of valve In the modified form of automatic valve unit shown in Figs. 3 and 4, provision is made of a substantially cylindrical hollow valve body having an interior chamber 9|, said chamber having upper and lower tapped bosses 92 and 93 adapted for connection into the pipe line l2, and a side flange 94 adapted to be connected to a housing 95, which contains a part of and supports the whole of a thermostatic mechanism to be later described. The housing 95 has a flange 96 and is held upon the valve body 90 by bolts 97, a leak-proof gasket 98 being located therebetween.

The valve proper consists of, a float member 99 adapted to seat upon a ring I00, flrmly held within the upper portion of the valve body 90, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, thus sealing the main chamber 9| 01f from the outlet port em. The float member 99 is preferably made in the form of a pa r of conical surfaces IBM and l00b having their bases in contact, the upper conical surface l00a being adapted to engage the ring I00,

and the lower surface I001) carrying a threaded boss IUI adapted to be threadedly engaged by a cup-shaped retaining nut I02 which serves to hold said boss III! in intimate contact with the headed end of 2, depending guide rod or valve stem N13. The float member 99 may be made hollow, or otherwise lightened in such a manner that when disposed in a vertical position, the buoyant effect of water contained in the valve body 90 will tend to oppose the weight of the said zontal upper and. lower extensions I06 and I0? adapted to be secured respectively to-a pair of vertical lugs I08 and I09 formed integral with the upper and lower walls H0 and III of the housing 95, as by pins H2 and H3.

For the purpose of actuating the float member 99 through the agency of the valve stem I 03, there is provided a bell-crank lever H4, pivotally supported within the lower bifurcated arms "Nb of the bracket ifl i by means of the pin Hi The horizontal arm of the lever IM passes through a 45 whrebyline contacts will be provided assuring slot I I6 in the lower portion of the valve stem I03, thus providing operative engagement between said horizontal arm and the float member 99. The slot H6 is preferably made longer than A thermostatic mechanism extends from an intermediate point on the vertical lever '1 to a fixed point on the rear wall'of the housing 95.

This mechanism includes a metal bellows I23 which is closed at its forward end by a plate I24 having a pair of forwardly projecting lugs I25, and is closed at 'its rear end by a plate I21 having a pair of rearwardly projecting lugs I28.

I The lugs I25 embrace and are pivotally attached to the lever IIIby a pin I30. The rear lugs I28 aresimilarly aflixed to 9. lug I3I forming;

an integral part of the rear wall of the housin 95 by means of a bolt I32- For the purpose of guiding and preventing unnatural distortion of thebellows structure, provision is made within the bellows I23 of a backwardly extending tubular member I33 forming an integral part of the frontplate I24'arranged in telescopic relation to a forwardly extending rod I34, said member I34 being adapted to slide within the tubular member I33, and forming an integral part of the rear plate In order to provide clearance and prevent possible clogging due to entrapped particles of foreign matter, as well as obviating any pistonf action of the rod I34 within the tubular member I33, said telescoping members I33 and I34 are preferably 'made of different cross-sections. For instance, the interior of the member I33 may be made cylindrical, While the cross-section of the member I34 may bein the form of a square,

satisfactory guiding action without any obstruction to free sliding motion.

For the purpose of limiting the longitudinal travel of the bellows I23 there is provided a pin' I35 passing through the member I34 and slidably positioned in opposed slots I36 formed in the sides of the tubular member I33. The bellows struc ture I23 which has just been described is filled with a suitable expansible or volatile fluid, so that it will have a tendency to expand longitudinally. In order to control the action of the expansibl bellows from the exterior of the housing, provision is made of a horizontal rod I31 having a bifurcated lug I38 at its forward end pivotally attached by a pin I39 to a rearwardlyextending lug I40 on the lever H1. The rod I31 has a threaded outer portion I4I extending out of the housing and carrying a washer I42 and thumb nut I43; The rod I31 passes freely through an opening I44 in a removable cover plate I45 which is attached to the rear wall of the housing 55 by screws I46, the joint being made tight by. the gasket I41. Acompression spring I48 located between a washer I42 and the plate I45 exerts force on the upstanding end of the bell-crank lever I I4 and the depending endof the vertical lever II1,

- aoezoao ing the position of the thumb nut I43 on the threaded portion I4I ofthe rod I31, the force of the spring I48 may be varied through a wide range.

For the purpose of making a tight and relatively frictionless joint between the cover plate I45 and the horizontal rod I31, there is provided a small bellows member I50 soldered at one end to said cover plate and'at its other end to a flange I5I which forms an integral part of the rod I31, thus constituting a. fluid-tight joint of What is known as the packless type.

While the valve for controlling the communication between the boiler and the radiators is herein shown as a vertically rising float valve, it. will be understood that it is within the spirit and scope of the invention to employ other types of valves for accomplishing this purpose, such as a horizontally operating valve controlled entirely the specific disclosures, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without depart ing from its spirit. In short, the. invention in-.

cludes all the modifications and embodiments coming within. the .scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what i is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure letters Patent, is:

1. In a heating apparatus, aiboiler, means to heat'said boiler, a room heating system in circuit with said boiler, a valve in said circuit, a

casing therefor, said valve being held up against its seat by the buoyancy of the water in said casing, a bell-crank lever connected to said valve,

and a sealed thermostatic .bellows connected to said lever and responsive to the temperature of the water'in said casing for lowering said valve for lowering said valve from its seat, and means extending outsidesaid casing for controlling said thermostatic means.

3. In a heating apparatus, a boiler, means for heating said boiler, a room heating circuit including said boiler, a hollow float valve in said circuit, a casing therefor-having a valve seat, the buoyancy of thewater in said casing normally maintaining said valve upwardly upon its seat, a hollow annular bellows thermostat located in said casing for lowering said valve from its seat, and means extending outside said casing for controlling said thermostatic means.

4. In a thermostatically controlled valve, a hollow casing having inlet and outlet ports, a hollow v -.lve member normally held against said outlet port by the buoyancy of the liquid in said casing, a guiding rod depending from said valve member, a guide bracket for said rod, a bell-crank lever pivotally supported in said chamber, one arm of said lever being connected to'said guide rod, and thermostatic valve controlling means located in said casing and having pivotal connection to the other arm of. aid bell-crank lever for lowering said valve from its seat when the temperature in said casing rises above a certain point.

5. In a thermostatically controlled valve, a hollow casing having inlet and outlet ports, a hollow valve member normally held against said outlet port by the buoyancy of the liquid in said casing, a guiding rod depending from said valve member, a guide bracket for said rod, a bellcrank lever pivotally supported in said chamber,

one arm of said lever being connected to said guide rod, and an adjustable thermostatic valve controlling means located in said casing and having pivotal connection to the other arm of said bellcrank lever for lowering said valve from its seat when the temperature in said casing rises above a certain point.

6. In a thermostatically operated liquid control valve, a hollow liquid-containing casing having inlet and outlet ports, a valve in said casing point.

- having a weight less than the weight of the liquid displaced thereby, the buoyancy oi the liquid in said casing normally holding said valve against said outlet port, and thermostatic means in said casing for lowering said valve from its seat whenever the temperature of the liquid in said casing exceeds a predetermined point.

'7. In a liquid control valve, a hollow casing having a lower inlet port and an upper outlet port, a movable valve member in said casing, means to normally hold said valve member against said outlet. port, a rod depending from said valve member and flexibly connected thereto,

means on said casing for loosely embracing said rod for guiding it, and thermostatic means'in said casing for lowering said valve member from said outlet port whenever the temperature of the liquid in said casing exceeds a predetermined CHARLES N. FLAGG. 

